The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-05-01
FEMALE eI.AcKMAI1.ERs.
The HideouS Pests Which Invest the
Great Metropolis

hideous pests of New York is the female
blacanailer. Many of them invade the
Offices of lawyers and business men as agents
FOR the sale Of various portable articles.
Stories OF their nefarious exploits are heard
on every hand, but they are seldom pub
Iisbed Human nature is such that it is
ready to believe the worst Of mankind, and
thus the man of spotless life and the woman
of whitest sanctity, by strange and weird
exigency, becomes the unconscious confed-
crates OF the female blackmailer. These ad-
venturesses pretend to be the widows of
soldiers seeking pension, OF they are gath
ering subscriptions for some well-known
charity, or they are selling books
or works of art or station
erv-in fact, almost any pretense
Is used for the purpose of seeing the banker,
merchant or lawyer alone. 1t may seem
surprising that a lawyer could be entrapped,
but it has been done. The case of Alexander
Hamilton is historical He was entrapped
by voluptuous woman and acceded to some
OF her demands for money, but when she
and her pretended husband went too far he
confessed the whole matter in public letter,
at the same time Indignantly denying that
he had ever used his place as Secretary of
the Treasury, which he then held, to further
the interests of the schemers. That letter
twitched the fangS from the serpent's mouth,
andAlexander Hamilton died, as he had lived,
the idol of the people. A young LAWYER on
Nassau street, heard the other day, was
victimized by Il woman who sold engrav-
ings He had a large practice in civil
cases. but knew nothing of the criminal
classes The adventures in this case was
handsome woman of 80, well dressed and
modest in demeanor. He subscribed for the
engravngs and she delivered them weekly.
At the third call the clerks heard a dispute
/ H.
private office. The womans voice was
angry and threatening; the lawyer in a
lower one was pleading and expostulating.
She left i'll few minutes APP
parently in state of great excite
ment The lawyer, it was noticed, became
nervous and preoccupied. The woman
called every week for four months Then
the Young lawyer consulted another in the
criminal practice and revealed the fact that
at the third call, which the woman made for
the purpose of leaving the engravings She
had asked him for 500 as a gift. If he re-
fused she would go to his wife, to whom he
had been married only two years, and tell
her that she had been in the habit of calling
OH him and that he had conducted himself
In an improper manner. He had at first re-
fused to give her the money and had defied
her to do her utmost. She left her address,
however, and said that if she did not receive
the llOuGg py llpOu Jub ueAU Jay sue would
carry her threat into execution. He was in
a quandary. Before 10 O'Clock the
next day, however, he had decided
that it would be better to paw the
money, and he did So A week later she
called and demanded S25 a week as the
price of her silence. He weekly paid it for
about four months and then called in the
assistance of a criminal lawyer, who at
once sent a detective to the Office to await
Lee
that day. When the woman entered the
detectives head was bent over a desk in the
outer Office, apparently engaged i'll clerical
work He recognized her at once as an
adventures well-known to the police. He
allowed her to enter the lawyers private
Office, get her weekly blackmail and leave
without scene. When she stepped into
the elevator he followed. She recognized
him with blank look of establishment. He
did not address her until they reached the
street and the other passengers in the eleva-
too were out Of hearing. Then he said to
her:
We'll, Mollie, ] see you are at your old
tricks again, amt youI'
She did not reply. Then he addad 81
will trouble you to give me that SIS you
have in your pocket" The woman gave it
up at once, Now" said the detective,
I'm going home with you, Mollie. Where
do you livem
They took the elevated road and went to
handsome fiat up town. The door was
opened by an old woman, apparently the
younger woman'S mother, and she also had
servant. The surroundings were attrac-
i've; everything had the appearance of a
refined and respectable home The detec-
I'VE said to the handsome adventures:
Now ON going to search the house for
the money you have taken from that man
down town.
oh! don't do that" she answered, 81
viii give you all that | have" And she soon
brought him about $50. Then the detective
lett he knew that ne could get no more.
and that If he arrested her there would
necessarily be unwelcome publicity for her
yctlm The lawyer was never troubled
hereafter. The same woman is still at work
on other victims. Those who have been
blackmalled do not publicly complain, and
mus women of that class prey on society al
most with impugnity. A Clergyman uptown
pald 6lackmail for a long time before he in
Voked the aid of his friends A merchant
pald Dlackmall once when a woman thrust
herSeH INTO bis private Office and threat
ehed to scream if he did
not. He never paid again, for he
gave strict orders not to admit the woman.
Many merchants and bankers refuse to see
woman until she has stated her business in
tull to a clerk. This rule protects many
mlllIonMreS from the wiles of these sharks.
IN smaller offices such a rule is not SO prac-
1caple. Brokers have often been victimized
lhese women do not attempt to extort
money at once. They act modestly at first
unu merely endeavor to sell the book or
picture but after a few visits have been
mace tney try to wheedle money out of
.ne broker for alleged family necessities,
VI they threaten to put themselves in com
promising positions and scream if money
10 hot given To them. They threaten to go
70 wives and sweethearts, and marriages,
Wen known, have been broken Of
MHeIe the backmailer has borrowed
.llIlu' and thus presented seemingly indis-
Puuloie evidence against her victim. limo
g TC men pay blackmail the most readily.
me me man OF loose morals often provesa hope
,esS case to the would-be blackmailer He
iaueilS her to Scorn and threatens to kick
ncr OUT Oh ms Office If she does not leave at
Suce; she leaves. One of the most bare
Ldced cases OF matchmaking that | ever
heard OF was that of Wall street broker,
WHO received note apparently in the hand
tWllung or business associate 10 call on
Nm at ms room in one of the most fashion
aoIe notes OF New York He entered the
rVoih and the door was at once
eiosed and locked by man of stal-
VAT huild, compared to whom the broker
S Ta5 as g pjgmy to Titan a woman in
u o1i stood a few feet OFT. "This will
. so,,y you Sl5,0OG," remarked the swindler
sN